Citation:

PANGAEA.987298 (dataset in review)

Name: Nitrous oxide emissions across Sub-Saharan Africa: meta-analysis and data-driven modelling
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: climate change; Sub-Saharan Africa

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Abstract:

This comprehensive dataset collection presents nitrous oxide (N2O) flux measurements from 35 sites across six African countries, spanning multiple land use types including croplands, forests, tea plantations, coffee plantations, and grasslands. The data encompasses 4,820 daily observations collected between 2005 and 2024, representing one of the most extensive N2O emission datasets from tropical Africa. Each observation includes 26 environmental covariates: meteorological conditions, soil properties, and agricultural management practices. N2O fluxes ranged from -21.15 to 242.35 μg N2O-N m² h, with distinct patterns across land use types. The dataset supports research on greenhouse gas emissions from tropical ecosystems and the development of process-based biogeochemical models for African environments.

Keyword(s):

climate change; Sub-Saharan Africa

References:

Barthel, Matti; Bauters, Marijn; Baumgartner, Simon; Drake, Travis W; Bey, Nivens Mokwele; Bush, Glenn; Boeckx, Pascal; Botefa, Clement Ikene; Dériaz, Nathanaël; Ekamba, Gode Lompoko; Gallarotti, Nora; Mbayu, Faustin M; Mugula, John Kalume; Makelele, Isaac Ahanamungu; Mbongo, Christian Ekamba; Mohn, Joachim; Mandea, Joseph Zambo; Mpambi, Davin Mata; Ntaboba, Landry Cizungu; Rukeza, Montfort Bagalwa; Spencer, Robert G M; Summerauer, Laura; Vanlauwe, Bernard; Van Oost, Kristof; Wolf, Benjamin; Six, Johan (2022): Low N2O and variable CH4 fluxes from tropical forest soils of the Congo Basin. Nature Communications, 13(1), 330, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-27978-6

Daelman, Roxanne; Bauters, Marijn; Barthel, Matti; Bulonza, Emmanuel; Lefevre, Lodewijk; Mbifo, José; Six, Johan; Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus; Wolf, Benjamin; Kiese, Ralf; Boeckx, Pascal (2025): Spatiotemporal variability of CO 2 , N 2 O and CH 4 fluxes from a semi-deciduous tropical forest soil in the Congo Basin. Biogeosciences, 22(6), 1529-1542, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1529-2025

Guetlein, Adrian; Gerschlauer, Friederike; Kikoti, Imani; Kiese, Ralf (2018): Impacts of climate and land use on N2O and CH4 fluxes from tropical ecosystems in the Mt. Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Global Change Biology, 24(3), 1239-1255, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13944

Hickman, Jonathan E; Palm, Cheryl A; Mutuo, Patrick; Melillo, Jerry M; Tang, Jianwu (2014): Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in response to increasing fertilizer addition in maize (Zea mays L.) agriculture in western Kenya. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 100(2), 177-187, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-014-9636-7

Hickman, Jonathan E; Tully, Katherine L; Groffman, Peter M; Diru, Willy; Palm, Cheryl A (2015): A potential tipping point in tropical agriculture: Avoiding rapid increases in nitrous oxide fluxes from agricultural intensification in Kenya. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 120(5), 938-951, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JG002913

Laub, Moritz; Corbeels, Marc; Mathu Ndungu, Samuel; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah Wanjiku; Mugendi, Daniel; Necpalova, Magdalena; Van de Broek, Marijn; Waswa, Wycliffe; Vanlauwe, Bernard; Six, Johan (2023): Combining manure with mineral N fertilizer maintains maize yields: Evidence from four long-term experiments in Kenya. Field Crops Research, 291, 108788, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2022.108788

Shumba, Armwell; Chikowo, Regis; Corbeels, Marc; Six, Johan; Thierfelder, Christian; Cardinael, Rémi (2023): Long-term tillage, residue management and crop rotation impacts on N2O and CH4 emissions from two contrasting soils in sub-humid Zimbabwe. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 341, 108207, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2022.108207

Wachiye, Sheila; Merbold, Lutz; Vesala, Timo; Rinne, Janne; Räsänen, Matti; Leitner, Sonja; Pellikka, Petri (2020): Soil greenhouse gas emissions under different land-use types in savanna ecosystems of Kenya. Biogeosciences, 17(8), 2149-2167, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2149-2020

Wanyama, I; Pelster, D E; Arias-Navarro, C; Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus; Verchot, L V; Rufino, M C (2018): Management intensity controls soil N2O fluxes in an Afromontane ecosystem. Science of the Total Environment, 624, 769-780, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.081

Zheng, Jinsen; Qu, Ying; Kilasara, Method M; Mmari, William N; Funakawa, Shinya (2019): Soil-atmosphere exchange of nitrous oxide in two Tanzanian croplands: Effects of nitrogen and stover management. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 275, 24-36, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.05.009

Funding:

Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), grant/award no. 200021_207348 : Combining measurements, modelling and machine learning to improve N2O accounting for sustainable agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa

Coverage:

Median Latitude: -2.952518 * Median Longitude: 27.974765 * South-bound Latitude: -17.706000 * West-bound Longitude: -0.382735 * North-bound Latitude: 6.054480 * East-bound Longitude: 38.226929

Date/Time Start: 2005-03-27T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2024-10-08T00:00:00

License:

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) (License comes into effect after moratorium ends)

Size:

4 datasets

Download Data (login required; moratorium until 2027-11-07)

Download ZIP file containing all datasets as tab-delimited text — use the following character encoding:

Datasets listed in this bundled publication

Agredazywczuk, P; Ouma, T; Barthel, M et al. (in review): Nitrous oxide emissions from African Croplands. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.987299
Agredazywczuk, P; Ouma, T; Barthel, M et al. (in review): Nitrous oxide emissions from African Forests and Plantations. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.987301
Agredazywczuk, P; Ouma, T; Barthel, M et al. (in review): Nitrous oxide emissions from African Grasslands. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.987305
Agredazywczuk, P; Ouma, T; Barthel, M et al. (in review): Site information of nitrous oxide emissions across Croplands, Forests and Grasslands. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.987307